The Impact of a Health Education Course on Maternal Knowledge: A Comparative Study in a Low Socioeconomic Rural Region

Abstract

A comprehensive health education course was designed for mothers in West Bank villages, a relatively low socioeconomic population. The course focused on nutrition, hygiene, child development, and first aid. It was taught by specially trained local instructors in small classes characterized by an individualized teaching method. To evaluate the contribution of the course, the level of knowledge in topics taught in the course was tested. The test was personally administered by trained interviewers to 241 course participants and to a comparison group of 284 mothers who had not participated. As expected, participants demonstrated higher level of knowledge than nonparticipants, regardless of the time since having taken the course. The course seems to have contributed to all participants, but mostly to women of lower education. In a multiple linear regression the two most significant predictors of knowledge were course participation and level of maternal formal education.

Infant feeding practices: an evaluation of the impact of a health education course.

“…The process of course development, design, methods, and content were described elsewhere." 2 From 1985 to 1987, the program offered 972 courses in 152 villages (about one-third of the 443 villages in the West Bank) and in five cities throughout the West Bank. Participation of villages in the program was voluntary.…”